Friction
by DistortedLullabies
Summary: After managing to break into Hogwarts, the Death Eaters have infiltrated the Ministry of Magic, in Britain and in the United States. Marriage laws have been enacted in an effort to reduce opposition. Rhiannon and Bill have been thrown in the middle.
1. Chapter 1

Music played softly in the background as I watched my aunt chase my cousin around, spouting out about how she was appalled the she had the audacity to wear a short dress to such a formal event. A smile played on my lips, for this was not a new occurrence. It almost always happened when a ball, or any other event for that matter, required our attendance. Cameron hated long dresses, they insisted they made her look even shorter than she was. While that was true, and the poor girl did not need her lack of height accentuated, I think the real reason was because short dresses freed up her legs so she could better run from smarmy wizards that couldn't take a hint.

I contemplated going to save her from the scolding, but frankly it was just too entertaining to watch. I'd told her to just make a compromise with her mother and wear a dress with a long slit, or one that was longer in the back. She, obviously, had refused, insisting that Aunt Estelle would 'get the fudge over it'. Estelle was, in fact, not the fudge over it.

Yet, despite my cousin's scandalous wardrobe choice for the evening, it still seemed that all eyes were on me. I couldn't understand why. Cameron and I's family did put on this particular ball, and it was last minute, but that still didn't give reason for people to so continuously stare at me and tell me congratulations. I suppose it could have been because I had graduated from Auror's training a few weeks ago, though I had yet to go into working. Perhaps people were just late in getting the news.

I felt eyes on me and glanced around, finding a boy that I had known from school walking over to me. I suppose boy was no longer the word I should use, man was more appropriate. I had graduated two years ago, and he had been two years ahead of me in school. I'd been elated when he'd graduated, Evander was never someone I liked to see much of. Unfortunately, as I'd gotten older, he'd taking a liking to seeing me.

I hoped that someone else would engage me in a conversation, but upon inspection I realized that I had managed to isolate myself in a corner. Well shit.

"You look lovely tonight, Rhiannon," Evander spoke, stepping much closer to me than was comfortable. What was it about some of these pureblood wizards not understanding the concept of personal space? It was nerve wracking. I took a step away from him and gave him a tight lipped smile. To many, my lack of gratitude would be taken as rude, but Evander Harken was not, nor had he ever been, a kind person. He was sly and manipulative, and did not dish out compliments without ulterior motives. I'd also heard from a young girl that was in Cameron's year that it was best not to find yourself in a totally isolated place with him.

"Always so quiet," he remarked, leaning against the wall and watching me with a steady eye. "I've always heard that you're such an open, talkative woman, yet you barely utter a word on the occasions that I see you. Why is that?"

I could tell by the smirk on his face that he had convinced himself that it was because he intimidated me. Whether he thought it was because of the power he and his family held, or because he thought I had my eye on him, I wasn't sure. I was, however, sure that neither was the case.

"Perhaps that is because I have nothing to say to you?" I suggested, tugging my lips up in an overly sweet smile. To anyone watching, it would actually seem as if we were exchanging pleasantries. In reality, I wanted to rip the man from limb to limb. His existence annoyed me.

"My, we're feisty tonight," he chuckled. "One day, you'll have to learn to dull the edge on that tongue of yours."

"I severely doubt that," I sighed. Not even the drink in my hand was able to ebb the annoyance anymore. I had to get away from him somehow. "Is there a reason you came over here?"

"I just wanted to reconnect with an old classmate." I scowled at him, pursing my lips in impatience. If he didn't get to the point soon I was going to hex him out of sheer annoyance. "You really should working on your temperament, Everwood," he said after a moment. "Surely you've heard of the new law that they have passed recently?"

I felt anger burn in me as he mentioned it. Yes, I had heard all about it. Everyone had. The Ministry of Magic had been corrupted by dark wizards, originating from Britain. Somehow, the reign of the "Death Eaters" had spread all the way over to America in only a few short weeks, as well as some other European countries. One of their first rulings was to enact a law requiring that young witches and wizards marry. In America, the ruling was women by at nineteen years of age, and men at twenty-one years. As a twenty year old, by law I was required to find a husband now, before my family or the Ministry found one for me.

As a free thinking woman, I was fully prepared to tell the Ministry exactly what I thought of this ridiculous law.

"They'll never be able to enforce it," I snapped without thinking. "It's a ridiculous law. It won't last long."

"Oh I beg to differ. My father says the Ministry is already preparing to assign partners to some of the less cooperative witches and wizards." The way his eyes lingered on me, I knew that he figured I was included in that group. "You may want to work on finding a husband fast, or not even your pretty face will be able to save you."

I was about to slap the taste out of his mouth, but instead found myself snickering as his dress robes began to smoke. A small flame had started near the bottom, but it was quickly starting to grow on the material. After a moment, Evander noticed his misfortune, and with wide eyes stumbled off, grabbing for his wand and repeatedly mumbling "aguamenti" as he went.

"You really are a savior, you know that?" I spoke with amusement as Cameron stepped out from behind a column to join me. She smoothed out her dress with a proud smile and took my drink from me. "I see you finally escaped Aunt Estelle?"

"Damn woman," she muttered bitterly, taking a drink of the muggle whiskey that we both favored. "You'd think I'd shown up to this stupid thing in a potato bag. Does she want me to look like a midget drowning in one of the manor's curtains? Because that's what I would look like if I was wearing a dress like yours."

I giggled at the thought, remembering back to when she and I were both little girls and had in fact, wrapped ourselves in some of the lace curtains that we found around the house. The house elves had had a wonderful time helping us dress up. Aunt Estelle, however, was not as amused.

"So, has Uncle Will told you what this is about yet?" Cam could always weasel answers out of her father. She was a daddy's girl, and he adored her. I can't count the times he has told her no on my right hand. She huffed and crossed her arms, finishing off the whiskey.

"No. But he did let it slip that it has something to do with you."

"Passing my aurors examinations?" I suggested. She shook her head.

"Tried that. He laughed. So it's obviously not that," she bit her lip thoughtfully and shrugged. "You asked Uncle Hank?"

"He only told me I'd find out later. If I'd wanted to know later, I would have asked him later," I scoffed. "If this whole thing is about me, you'd think he would have had the decency to explain what the hell I had done."

"He bought good alcohol, don't complain," Cameron scolded as she hip checked me. I rolled my eyes and bumped her back. I wanted to just have fun and relax with my cousin and our friends, but I was having a difficult time. An uneasy feeling had taken hold in my stomach, and it just wouldn't let go.

"So what'd Evander want?" she asked, tapping her wand against the glass to refill it. "Want one?" she questioned when she found me looking. "Geminio," she whispered, catching the new glass before it fell and passing it to me, staring expectantly as she waited for me to answer.

"Just to annoy me, I think," I shrugged, relishing the warmth that fell down my throat with each drink. "He brought up that stupid law…"

"May I have your attention!"

Cameron and I both immediately looked at the center of the ballroom, where my mother and father were standing, the lights all falling on them. Good, we would finally get some answers.

"We hope everyone is enjoying their evening," my mother, Amara, spoke. Her smile was bright, but uneasy. "We were glad you could join us for the celebration tonight. Though, I'm sure some of you are wondering what we're celebrating. For this, we'd like our beautiful daughter, Rhiannon, to come over here with us."

I took a step forward unsteadily, grabbing Cameron's hand and dragging her with me.

"Sure, I'll go be the center of attention with you," she grumbled indignantly, but put up no fight. She could sense my worry. Something wasn't right with this, I could feel it. She knew as well as I did, that our evening was likely to take a quick turn downhill.

Cameron stopped walking right before the edge of the spotlight, and motioned me forward. She may not be able to stand up there with me, but I knew she was with me regardless. My father gave me a sad smile and laid a hand on my shoulder. Oh God… I was adopted.

"Our daughter has grown up, and made us so very proud. And as much as we would like to, we can't keep her here forever. She isn't a baby anymore," my father spoke slowly. "She's a woman. And with recent events, Amara and I were forced to make some very difficult decisions."

My mother grabbed my hand and squeezed it. When I met her eyes she simply mouthed 'I'm sorry'. What the fuck was going on?

"In the following days," my father continued, taking a deep breath as if he were trying to collect himself. "Rhiannon will be going to Britain, to meet her future husband."

Silence fell over the entire ballroom, and my throat felt as if was about to close. He had to be joking, there's no way he was serious. Maybe he was sending me over there to try to meet someone? Of course that's what this was. They were giving me options! They wouldn't actually marry me off, Ministry law be damned.

"Hank and I found a suitable man for her, one that we think she would grow to love, and our families have come to an agreement," my mother continued, tears springing to her eyes as she noticed my panic. "So we would like to thank you for being here, on this night, to celebrate our only daughter's engagement."

My chest constricted and I immediately sought out my cousin in the crowd. She looked as horrified as I felt. This was what tonight was about? This was why no one would tell me? Did they think getting me in front of a crowd would make it easier, would keep me calm? They were wrong.

"No," I yelled suddenly, pulling myself away from my parents and glaring. "No! I won't do it!"

The atmosphere in the ballroom suddenly became tense, and a small wind began to pick up. I'd never been good at controlling my magic when I became truly enraged, and this was only a small testament to that.

"Rhiannon, please," my mother begged, reaching for me. I jerked my hand away and glared.

"No! You're going to pawn me off on some other family! You're trying to make me marry someone, someone I don't even know!" I screamed, stomping my foot. "I won't do it!" I yelled, turning away from them and walking toward the staircase. The running footsteps behind me gave Cameron away, not that I'd had any notion that she wouldn't follow. We always were there for each other, even in this.

"Rhiannon!" My father yelled after me. He was probably displeased that I had made a scene in front of the guests, but I didn't give a damn. I was displeased that he was marrying me off.

"I WON'T!" I screamed over my shoulder, hearing the crashing as all of the glasses in the room shattered. My parents would be pissed, but I didn't care. This was all their fault.

"Nice one," Cameron giggled. "Red wine all over mom. Priceless."


	2. Chapter 2

"Rhiannon, would you please just listen to us?"

"There's nothing you two can say that I would want to hear," I bit back, refusing to look at my mother. I was still angry at what they had done to me. But more than that, I was hurt. How could they just give me up so easily? They didn't even fight for me, try to get the law repealed. They were powerful enough, they could have done something. Yet, they'd made sure I was one of the first victims of this vile law.

That didn't mean that I wanted to see my mother cry though. In fact, just hearing her sniffs and begging was breaking my heart. She seemed genuinely devastated, but she refused to back down in her decision.

"Sweetheart, please, it's for the best," she pleaded, shutting one of my trunks and grabbing my hand. She was trying so hard, and my resolve was weakening, but I knew that I wouldn't easily get over this betrayal.

"How is marrying a man that none of us have met for the best? Are you even listening to yourself?" I scoffed, flicking my wand to send my folded clothing into yet another trunk. Two days of this. Two full days, and nothing had changed. None of us had relented. I still refused to be happy about their decision, though I knew now that I had no choice. Not unless they would break the engagement… which they refused to do.

I felt a strong hand grab my shoulder, and spin me around forcefully. My father was livid, I could see that. He hated seeing his wife cry, and he would take out anyone that did it. Never before, however, had his own the daughter been the cause.

"You will stop speaking to your mother like that this instant," he growled, stepping away from me to calm himself before he continued to speak. "If you would stop throwing your temper tantrum and just listen to us, you'd understand why we came to our decision."

"If I would understand, why didn't you tell me **before** you did this?" I hissed, poking him in the chest. "Why did you do it behind my back?"

"Because we had no time to, Rhiannon!" he roared, forcing even me to take a step back. "The Ministry was ready to assign you a partner, and you know what that would have meant?" He took my silence as a negative and continued on his angry tirade. "They would have married you off to a dark wizard, Rhee. They would have used you as leverage to get our support. You would have been married to a cruel bigot, and there would have been nothing we could have done to stop it. I tried to find you a husband here, but they wouldn't allow it, so I did the only thing I could think of, I put you in with the British Ministry."

"How the hell does that help anything? I'm still being forced into marriage dad," I sniffed, feeling the stress of the past few days come crashing down on me. God this was awful. I wanted to hate them so badly, but they were my parents and they seemed as upset as I was.

"They don't know who you are sweetheart. They don't know who our family is, or our positions. You wouldn't be a pawn to them, not if I got you married fast. I was able to pick your husband, and check out the family," he explained with a helpless shrug as he slumped onto my childhood bed. "It's not ideal, but it was the best I could do. They're a good family, Rhee. Kind and honorable. They oppose the Death Eaters, they will treat you right."

I bit my lip and stared at the floor. I could understand his reasoning. It made sense, it would keep me safe. But marriage shouldn't be about safety, or the lesser of two evils. It should be about love. And now, I'd never get that. "But I don't want to do it," I whimpered, sitting down on my bed next to my dad and laying my head on his shoulder. My mom joined us seconds later, and I wrapped my arm around her, hugging her close to me.

"We know you don't baby," she sniffed, patting my leg in comfort. "But we couldn't see you bound to some cruel bigot. At least… At least this way, there's a chance you may grow to love your husband."

"The odds of that are nearly nonexistent," I chuckled. "I'll never be able to love someone that's forced on me. The best I'll be able to hope for is friendship."

"That's more than most marriages have," my dad offered. I scoffed and shoved his shoulder.

"You're not helping here."

There was a knock at my door, and Aunt Estelle poked her head in, a sad smile on her face. Despite her strict nature, she really was a very lovely woman. She was kind, and entertaining, and I loved her. I loved all my family, and now I'd be away from almost all of them.

"Cameron just finished packing her things," she announced. I nodded and sighed, pushing myself up off of my bed and smiling at her. "You're such a brave girl. You'll look after Cameron, won't you?" she asked with a watery smile. The family had come to the decision that Cameron would come with me. Since she was only nineteen, she still had the rest of the year to find a husband before the Ministry would step in. And even then, being overseas would slow them down. Even if I was being forced into this, I could at least help my cousin out.

"I'm almost finished," I told her, waving my wand and sending the rest of my clothing into its respective place. I took a long look at the room, not knowing when I would see it again, if I ever did. My childhood was over, all in the blink of an eye. Before, I'd thought I was such an adult, all grown up and on my own, despite that I still lived with my parents. I was fully prepared to start my own job soon, and I'd been out of school for a couple of years. Yet… I was still a child. I still looked to my parents for guidance; I was still able to make decisions based only on myself. But not anymore.

"This sucks," I grumbled, returning my parents' smiles. They were trying, I knew they were. And they were as upset about this as I was, but there was nothing to be done. They were right, this would be better than being forced into marriage with a dark wizard. I would not become a pawn in some ridiculous play for power. I refused.

Cameron groaned next to me, clutching her stomach and steadying herself on her feet. "I fucking hate traveling by portkey," she grumbled, catching a stern glare from my mother. "I said fudging Aunt Amara, fudging," she lied with an innocent smile. My mother, not believing her for a moment, simply rolled her eyes and continued walking. We were supposed to be meeting my fiancé's family, the Weasley's, at their home here… in whatever city or village this was.

A quiet bark from beside me grabbed my attention and I glanced down at the tiny dog that was trotting next to me. My grandma Yvonne had bought both Raychel and I dogs a few months ago, saying that all witches needed their own familiar, and cats simply did not suit us as dogs did. Personally, I think she chose the dogs as a joke. She'd given Raychel a pit bull, a dog that would grow to be quite large, and a Chihuahua, a very tiny breed, to me. It was most certainly a play on our heights.

The tiny dog blinked up at me expectantly, refusing to walk anymore. Poor thing was so small, she got worn out a lot faster than Tristan, Raychel's dog. I took pity on her and lifted her up, allowing her to climb onto my shoulder. I swear this dog thought she was a parrot.

"You'd think they would have at least had the damn thing take us somewhere closer," Cam scowled, glaring down at the heels she had chosen to wear. I felt her pain, I was wearing heels as well. No one had told us we'd be walking this far.

"The Weasley's live near muggles girls, we had to be cautious," my mother explained, raising a perfectly plucked eyebrow at the sight of my dog riding on my shoulder. "You spoil her."

"I know," I grinned, reaching up to pet the small creature. "So, why didn't we just have a portkey that sent us to their house?"

"They were afraid it would disrupt some of their shield charms on the house."

"Shield charms?" Cameron repeated, giving my father a curious look. He glanced back and nodded.

"The Death Eaters here aren't fans of them, to put it lightly," he explained. Cameron threw her hands up in the air in a huff.

"Great! We get sent to Britain, we walk for freaking **ever** through the middle of nowhere in good shoes, and we'll be sworn enemies of a bunch of asshole dark wizards. This is awesome!" If it hadn't been for the small glint in her eye, I would have thought she was actually complaining. I knew my cousin well though, and her adventurous streak ran just as deep as mine. If we looked at this situation as an adventure and challenge to overcome rather than… well… what it was, we would get through it, and maybe even have some fun.

"We're nearly there Cameron, you can stop complaining," my father teased, ruffling her hair in an affectionate manner. "Your temper seems to have gotten as short as you are."

The outraged look on her face actually made me laugh out loud. It was the same sort of thing that he would have said at home, and it reminded me of happier times.

"You're an asshole, Uncle Hank," she huffed, playfully kicking his shin. "Hey, is that their house?" she asked suddenly, looking a bit into the distance and pointing at a tall structure.

"I believe it is. They said it wasn't exactly a conventional house."

"Unconventional is one way to put it," my mother sighed. "I can't believe we're actually doing this."

"Pfft, you can't?" I scoffed, sending her a playful wink. "I'm the one you're trading for a few goats and a cow."

"Oh please Rhiannon, you know we're not getting any livestock out of this. Don't make it seem like we're getting _that_ good of a deal," she teased. I narrowed my eyes and lightly shoved her. I was grateful that they were all trying to keep me laughing. If nothing else, it was preventing me from sulking.

As we neared the home, we saw a head of red hair poke out before running back into the house, yelling something that resembled "They're here." My stomach began to knot, and I realized that this was it. I was about to meet the man I would marry, and his family. My family was going to leave.

I was about to hyperventilate.

"Hey, it'll be okay," Cameron said quietly, standing next to me as we stood in the garden. I was too nervous to actually go outside, so hopefully they would come outside. To be honest, I was afraid I would vomit, and I really didn't want to do that in the house. Not that I wanted to do it at all…

"I'm telling you Fred, she's going to be ugly. Why else wouldn't anyone in America have wanted her?"

"George, you be quiet. I'm sure she's lovely."

"Oh come on Mum, the file said that she had a beautiful personality. That's practically code for she's chubby and has a giant mole on her face. Face it, Bill will have an ugly wife."

"And we'll have a new test subject."

"Don't you dare!" The womanly voice that I'm assuming was the mother spoke again, this time right behind the front door. This was it, I was going to meet them, and they were going to hate me. "You will be respectful, and keep your wizarding weasels-"

"Wheezes Mum, they're Wheezes, we've been over this," a tall red headed man laughed as he came strutting out of the front door. I had to do a double take when another one of him walked out. At first I thought that I was panicking so much that I was hallucinating, and then I realized that they were simply twins. A plump woman with curly red hair followed, glaring at the two young men.

"I don't care what they are, you keep them away from the poor girl. I don't want her running back to America just after getting here!" she scolded, and I found myself smiling. They definitely seemed like a normal family, one that Cam and I could get along with.

"Must you ruin our fun?" the twin on the left whined, just as Mary decided that she wanted to be included in the conversation. She leapt of my shoulder and tumbled to the ground before running over to the clan of red heads and barking threateningly. She didn't take kindly to people she didn't know being around me.

"Is that a bloody rat?" One of the twins yelled, jumping back from my dog and staring at her with a look that almost resembled fear.

"It's a dog actually," I replied, hurrying forward to grab the noisy little shit and picking her up. "My dog. She's not a fan of strangers, I apologize."

The woman smiled warmly at me, apparently realizing that I was her future daughter-in-law and beckoned me forward, while her two sons stared in shock. "Please tell me you're not Rhiannon, because I will feel like a git for making fun of Bill for telling him he'd be married to the ass end of a hippogriff all week," one spoke slowly, making Cameron laugh as she and my parents joined us.

"Sorry," I shrugged. Really? They'd thought I would be ugly? What the hell had my father put in my file?

"Oh it's fine," the man grinned, thrusting his hand at me. "I'm Fred, the handsome brother."

"So I can see," I chuckled, shaking his hand and trying to hide my nervousness.

"Bill, mate, can I have your wife?" He asked suddenly, peering into the door. There, standing half in shadows, was a man even taller than the twins. His hair was long, hanging to his shoulders, and even in the darkness I could see the scowl on his face. He didn't speak, simply grunted and turned right back around, heading into the house. As he turned, I caught a glimpse of three scars down one side of his face.

The other twin smiled after a minute, trying to crack the tension that had been created by my fiancé's less than friendly greeting. "That's Bill, our resident dragon. Just ignore him. Why don't you all come inside?"

Snapping back to the present, his mother grinned and lead us inside. "Yes, do come in. I'm terribly sorry for Bill. He's in a rough place right now, ever since the Death Eaters broke into Hogwarts, the poor dear," she rambled, leading us into a kitchen and motioning to the chairs.

"What happened?" I asked out of curiosity. She was about to speak, but seemed to decide it was better not to and smiled sadly at me.

"That's something he'll have to tell you himself, I'm afraid."

"Great," I huffed, throwing my head back in frustration. "Because he seemed incredibly eager to talk to me."

This may turn out to be even more difficult than I thought.


	3. Chapter 3

My parents had quickly fallen into conversation with Molly and Arthur, my future in-laws. They were both quite nice, and very welcoming. Molly had profusely apologized for Bill's behavior. While his actions were disheartening, it really had been silly of me to expect anything less. I was, after all, the one that had thrown a complete temper tantrum in front of a crowd. It would have been silly of me to expect him to fall in love with me on sight.

Though, a simple hello would have been nice.

The twins, Fred and George, were quite entertaining. They were having a grand time playing with Mary and Tristan, at one point commenting on how much more fun dogs were than rats. They were also excellent at diffusing tense situations. Cameron definitely seemed to like them as well. It made me a bit more confident to know that she and I would at least have friends here.

That was until they informed us that they actually did not live at The Burrow, the name given to the family home. They owned a joke shop in Diagon Alley, the popular wizarding area in London, and lived in an apartment above it.

"I just want to thank you again for this," I heard my father say, shaking hands with Arthur.

"It's not a problem at all. We're all stuck in a bind with this law, and like minded families should stick together," Arthur replied cordially. I hated the way they were talking about this. It was like it was a business arrangement. Marriage should not be business, it should be love. But, thinking back to my surly fiancé, business may be the only option here.

"Rhiannon, honey, why don't you go talk to Bill?" my mother spoke up suddenly, making me jump. I glanced at her with wide eyes and shook my head.

"That's okay, I'm content out here with Cam and the twins," I replied quickly. The idea of talking to Bill scared the hell out of me to be honest. I was nervous enough about this forced marriage as it was. Having a hateful husband only made it worse.

"Don't be silly Rhiannon Adair," she huffed, causing me to wince at the use of my middle name. "You're going to be married to him. Go get to know the man."

"But-"

"Oh that is a wonderful idea!" Molly cheered, standing up and walking to the stairway. "He can show you the garden. It's just lovely this time of year!"

"But-"

"BILL!" she yelled up the stairs with a volume that made both Cameron and I cringe. Fred and George seemed unaffected by it, but I have a feeling that they were on the receiving end of that loud voice quite often. "Bill! Come down here and show Rhiannon the garden!"

"I'd rather not!" Was the quick reply. I wasn't sure if I should be relieved or insulted. Sure, I didn't really want to speak to him, but it didn't exactly make me feel warm and fuzzy that he didn't want to speak to me either.

"WILLIAM WEASLEY!"

Even the twins jumped with that outburst. Good God Molly had a set of lungs on her. After a few seconds, heavy footsteps could be heard stomping down the stairs. Either Bill was very heavy footed, or he was very angry. I looked across the coffee table to meet Cam's face. She had a worried look and I knew right then, Bill wasn't heavy footed.

"Shit," I groaned, flopping my head back in frustration. The twin next to me, Fred I believe, since he was lacking the mole on his neck, patted my shoulder carefully.

"Don't worry, we won't let him kill you."

"Well that's comforting," I scoffed, standing up wearily and stretching my limbs. "Might as well get this over with."

"I think she could find the bloody garden on her own," he snapped as soon as his feet left the stairs. I winced at his derogatory tone. He really must think I'm some sort of idiot. Of course I knew where the damn garden was, there was flowers in it!

"But I want _you_ to show it to her," Molly insisted with a very stern face that could only have been perfected from years of dealing with mischievous children. Bill glared back at his mother, a low growl emanating from his chest, just waiting for her to back down. Amazingly, however, she did not. She stood her ground and pointed directly to the front door, raising her eyebrows as if she was daring him to argue with her further.

With a sneer, Bill turned on his heel and headed for the front door, not even turning back to see if I was following. I stood in my place, watching as the door slammed shut right behind him, before looking at my parents.

"You're shitting me, right?" When all I received were blank stares, I figured that arguing would do no good. They'd just nag me till I wanted to rip my hair out. "For fuck's sake," I grumbled under my breath, walking out the door with a glance back at Cameron and the twins. Hopefully they'd keep their word about not letting him kill me.

"Are you always this pleasant, or are you just putting on a show for me?" I asked once I had shut the front door behind me. Bill was standing five yards from the house and facing away from me with a tense body. He was angry, extremely angry, and I found myself wondering how in the hell he could be so pissed about all of this. I was the one essentially sold to him. He had to agree and sign off on the contract along with our parents. I was the one that had no say in any of this, so why was he acting as if he was the one losing his freedom?

"You wanted to see the garden, here it is." His voice was low, and dangerous, as he completely ignored my comment. That would happen much, if I saw to it. I may be forced into this marriage, but I refused to be a silent, ignored wife. "Don't know why it would be so bloody hard to find."

"It isn't. And I didn't want to see the garden, it was our parents' idea. So you can pull this stick out of your ass and act like a civil human being," I barked, marching over to him and standing with my arms crossed. "If you want to be sulky and brooding, go right ahead, but don't you dare take this out on me. And you had **better** stop acting like I'm so beneath you."

He chuckled darkly and shook his head, turning to stare me down with a totally empty look. "I'm sorry, but you're talking like I care."

Fury swelled inside of me, and I was itching to grab my wand and hex his ass right off. He needed to be knocked down a few pegs. I couldn't believe that the rest of his family could be so kind and he was… like this.

"You have got to be the biggest prick I have ever met," I spat, shoving his chest and knocking him back a step or two. His blue eyes flashed yellow, just for a moment, and I was left to wonder just what those scars on his face were from. He almost didn't seem entirely human. "What the fuck is your problem?"

"You!" he roared, surprising me by shoving me back. I knew it wasn't as hard as he could have. I really only stumbled because of the heels I was wearing, but the action still surprised me. "You are my problem!"

"Me?" I screeched, staring at him with wide eyes. "You don't even know me you brute! How can I be your problem?"

"You're here!" he laughed humorlessly. "You're here, in my parents' house. And I'm supposed to marry you."

"I'm not exactly excited about marrying you either, buddy. In case you haven't noticed, you're not exactly Prince fucking Charming."

Once again, his eyes flashed yellow, but this time it stayed just a bit longer. "I'm sorry, princess. I apologize that my scars appall you."

"What?" I scoffed, throwing my hands up in the air. "I wasn't even talking about your damn scars! I don't give a damn about them! Actually, if you weren't such a fucking prick, they'd kind of be sexy. But no, you're acting like the whole world owes you, and everything that's going on is just a great big inconvenience. Why don't you just grow up?"

"Coming from a little girl," he sneered. "Do you even realize what we're expected to do? Or is that too complicated for your tiny mind-"

I slapped him, right across the face before he could even finish his sentence. He turned his face and refused to look at me for a moment, but I could tell by the way his shoulders flexed and his breathing became heavier that he was angry. Good, so was I. "Don't you **ever** insult my intelligence again," I snarled. "You may not like me, that's fine. But don't act like you're better than me, or smarter than me. I know exactly what the fucking Ministry expects us to do. And I can't do a damn thing about it. At least you got a damn choice in who you married. I just got shipped off to whoever my parents liked best."

"Trust me, _princess_, I don't have a choice in who I get to marry. If I did, she'd be here instead of you. But life doesn't work out that way."

"You're bitter over a girl?" I asked incredulously. Wasn't he a little old for that? "Seriously? You're taking your shit out on me because you can't have who you want? It's not my fault some chick left you-"

"SHUT UP!" He roared suddenly, so loud that I almost didn't hear the front door slam shut in a hurry. "Just shut the fuck up! You don't know what you're talking about. Just because you live here now doesn't mean that you can talk about things you know nothing about."

"I don't even want to be here!" I huffed. Fuck, I hadn't meant to set him off that bad. He must have had it bad for that girl.

"THEN GO HOME!" he screamed, jumping back when he saw a flame pop up right in front of him. With a growl, he turned and found Cameron, Fred, and George hiding behind a tree in the yard, guilty smiles on their faces. With a final glare at me, he turned on his heel and stomped right back into the house, slamming the door so hard that I was shocked it stayed on its hinges.

After taking a few seconds to calm myself, I turned to face Cam and the twins, finding them walking toward me a bit cautiously. Fred and George seemed afraid that I would continue to take out my rage, using them as targets. Cameron, on the other hand, could pick up how upset I had become. I knew that this marriage would be difficult, but I had no idea we would hate each other so much. How was this even going to work?

"Told you we wouldn't let him kill you," Fred grinned, finally deeming me safe and wrapping an arm around my shoulder. I groaned and leaned my head on his shoulder.

"You probably should've just let him kill me. Things would have gone smoother."

"Don't you dare talk like that!" Cameron scolded me, smacking me on the arm and glaring. "This will work. You will make it work. Just don't mention the girl that left him again. That really seemed to set him off."

"Erm… she didn't _leave_ him though," George said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck and staring at the ground.

"But there was another woman?" I asked. I needed affirmation; I wanted to know my suspicions were right. Bill was being forced into a marriage with me, yet he was in love with another woman. That would explain the bitterness, though not why he was so cruel to me. Fred and George both nodded, a somber look taking over their typically gleeful faces. "He was in love with her?"

"Yeah, I suppose he was," Fred answered, looking to George for back up.

"Doted on her. It was almost sickening," he continued with a shrug.

"Then what happened?" Cameron asked. The twins both winced and turned their gazes away from her.

"That… we can't tell you. It's up to Bill," George explained, sending us both an apologetic look.

"Well, that's lovely. I think we've established how much Bill enjoys speaking to me," I piped sarcastically. This was wonderful, absolutely wonderful. He hated me, loved another witch, and wanted nothing more than out of our marriage.

"Don't worry Rhiannon, he'll warm up to you… eventually."

"I'm sorry, was that meant to be reassuring Fred? Because it wasn't," I laughed, shoving him away from me. "God. I'll be ancient by the time he warms up to me."

"And that'll just be because one of you is going to die soon," George added with a grin. I laughed, despite realizing that that was a very good possibility. Living in a loveless marriage would be miserable enough, but could I really manage to live in one where we hated each other?

No. I'd rather have to fight off a dark wizard before I'd let that happen.


	4. Chapter 4

"If your mother yells at us one more time to hurry up, I'm going to put a garden gnome in her trunk," Cameron growled as she meticulously outlined her eyes in the muggle eyeliner that she favored. I chuckled to myself and fastened the belt around my waist over my dress. We were going to see Fred and George's shop today, and I for one was excited. With their sense of humor, the shop had to be amazing. After that, Molly said she was showing us around Diagon Alley, making sure to note that they had a shop there that made wonderful wedding gowns.

"You and I both know she'll just keep fussing till we get our asses down there," I sighed, pulling my hair up into a quick pony tail. It was surprisingly hot here in the summer, and I didn't feel like having my hair down all day.

"Oi, Ron and Ginny just got here are you two… Hello," Fred grinned broadly as I turned around. I followed his gaze and found it right where it shouldn't be. He is a guy though, I guess I should have expected it. But come on, your brother's fiancée?

Not that Bill would give a damn.

"Eyes up here, Freddie," I reminded him, motioning to my eyes. "They're not yours to stare at."

"Could be though," he countered, sauntering up to me and wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "How about you ditch my prat of a brother and shack up with me," he continued, wiggling his eyebrows for emphasis. I knew he was joking, of course, but it made me laugh. And it honestly gave me a bit of confidence. It's nice to know that someone finds me attractive, even if Bill doesn't.

"I can only imagine what Molly would say about that," Cameron snickered, running a hand through her hair and mussing it up just slightly. George grinned and threw himself onto the bed that Cameron had slept on the night before, instantly taking a mocking tone as he tried to mimic his mother's voice.

"Fred Weasley, how dare you steal your brother's fiancée! He has gone through such a rough time, so what if he's a giant wanker! Blah, blah, blah… and stop testing your products on your brother!" He sighed and rubbed his forehead, dropping the mocking voice. "It'd probably go a little something like that."

"I agree," Fred sighed. "I suppose we'll just have to run away and elope."

"Oh shush you," I snickered, smacking his arm. "Enjoy your time as a single man, it won't last much longer."

"Yes, but having a pretty wife would make me feel so much better," he winked. I rolled my eyes, he really didn't give up. I knew it was a joke, but it seemed like he had a comeback for every damn thing I said.

"GIRLS!" my father yelled, making Cameron drop the chap stick that she had been applying. I groaned and stomped my foot on the ground. I wonder if throwing a fit would do any good? Maybe they'd just let the twins take Cam and I to Dianog Alley.

Wait… no, that's not right. It's Diagon Alley. Like diagonally, but an alley. I'd need to remember that.

"Coming!" I yelled back, my bottom lip jutting out at the thought of having to go through town acting like Bill and I were a couple. Molly and my mother insisted that they wanted to show us off to everyone since we were "such a handsome couple". Fred and George had then proceeded to pinch our cheeks and tell us how cute we were.

Bill tried to shove Fred down the stairs for that.

"I don't suppose you two would give me one of those things you invented that would make me sick, would you?" I asked quietly as we all descended the stairs. George grinned and shook his head.

"Not a chance. We're planning on this being our entertainment for the day. Seeing you annoyed **and **getting to watch someone hand Bill's arse to him? It's better than watching TB!"

"TV," Cameron corrected with a small smile. Our grandmother Yvonne had been a muggleborn, so she had always insisted we know the basics of existing as a muggle, just in case the need ever arose. George narrowed his eyes at her, but didn't say anything. He had a tendency to do that with her. He'd just look at her rather than saying something funny or snarky as he did with most everyone else.

"There you all are!" Molly sighed, throwing her arms up in relief when we finally stepped into the kitchen. There were two new redheads at the table, and it was pretty obvious which was Ron and which was Ginny. The Weasley's were odd, but they weren't cruel. "It's about time. We were about to leave without you."

"What a shame that would have been," I grumbled under my breath, sticking my tongue out at Bill who was doing nothing but glaring at me. Ron and Ginny seemed to be taking a page out of their oldest brother's book and watched me with steely eyes. One would think that two redheaded teenagers with freckles splattered across their noses and generally friendly faces wouldn't be so intimidating… but they were.

"Ron, Ginny, this is Rhiannon, Bill's fiancée," Arthur began, pointing to me. Feeling a bit out of place, I offered a shy wave, stepping back when their glares intensified. "And her cousin Cameron, who will also be staying with us."

"Why?" Ron asked bluntly. There wasn't a hint of mirth on his face. No, he seemed kind of pissed.

My parents and the Weasleys exchanged a glance, wondering just what reason they should offer. In reality, there were multiple reasons. The Ministry in America was getting worse and going crazy over their marriage law. They didn't want me to be here alone. Cameron needed to find a husband, preferably a non-American one, just to insure that he wasn't corrupt. And honestly, she and I both wanted to help with the war over here.

George however, saved everyone's asses yet again. "We want her here."

"Yeah, got a problem with it?" Fred added, wrapping his arms around Cameron and I's shoulders protectively. "I'm sure I could find a spider to-"

"Fred," Molly's voice came in warning, though relief was shining in her eyes.

"But why is she marrying Bill?" Ginny continued, looking at her brother sympathetically. "It doesn't even look like he likes her."

"I don't," was the growled response. I rolled my eyes.

"Feeling's mutual," I retorted, blowing him a kiss for extra effect. I ignored the scowls on our parents' faces. They honestly couldn't have expected all this to be just sunshine and rainbows. Though I don't think that even I could have anticipated things being _this_ hostile.

"Right then," my father said suddenly, clapping his hands loudly to grab everyone's attention. "Fred, George, you two going to show us this shop I've heard so much about?"

Both of their faces lit up in pride at the mention of their business. They were very committed to what they did, and I have to admit, I was very excited to see what they had come up with.

"Why yes, right this way sir," Fred motioned theatrically to the fireplace, throwing in floo powder and yelling out 'Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes' before stepping in and disappearing.

Well, here goes nothing.

"Goddess, this place is amazing," I muttered to myself, still exploring the vast store that Fred and George had brought to life. There were so many things here, fireworks, skiving snackboxes (made for getting out of classes), pygmy puffs, Wonder Witch products, they really had all the bases covered.

Now if only their uniforms didn't clash so much.

"They've put a lot of hard work into it."

The fact that Ginny was speaking to me shocked me in itself. The fact that there wasn't a hostile look on her face and she wasn't trying to hex me, left me totally stunned. She'd been sending me glares for most of the day, though she wasn't as bad as Ron I must admit. That boy just seemed to want me dead. He must take after his older brother.

"I can tell," I replied, watching her skeptically. I couldn't help but think that this was all some sort of pretense. She couldn't have completely changed her opinion of me in less than twenty minutes. I wasn't stupid.

After a few seconds of silence, she leant against one of the shelves and eyed me with suspicion. "So, why does Bill hate you, yet the twins seem to consider you their new best friend?"

Ah, there it was her ulterior motive. Shame, I thought she would have had the sense to be more subtle and at least make small talk for a bit. But maybe subtlety is lost over the Atlantic?

"Fred and George don't think I'm their new best friend," I answered in a bored voice, studying the invisible ink selection that they had. "They're just being kind and trying to be friends with me. There's no crime in that. Bill, on the other hand, hates that I exist, and wants me to go home."

"Why don't you?"

I raised my eyebrows in surprise, such venom from such a young girl. You'd think I was some sort of gold digging whore, or plotting to ruin her family. "Because I can't," I answered bluntly. "I'm not allowed to travel out of the country without my husband, or his explicit approval. I have no rights anymore, to do anything. Not until I'm married. Trust me, if I could leave, I would. I'd rather not be around a bunch of people that hate me."

"Well you did throw all of this on him."

I scoffed and shook my head. "Ginny, I didn't know I was engaged until a few days ago. By the time I knew, the contract had been signed. I had no say in the matter."

"Why are you so mean to Bill then?" she huffed, crossing her arms and staring me down. That actually made me laugh out loud. Was this girl serious? Really?

"He started it," I stated simply. There was no other way to put it. I hadn't said a word to him, and he had already had his mind made up that he would hate me.

"That's mature," she scoffed, rolling her eyes and stomping off in the other direction. I stared after her, my mind reeling from the encounter. Had a sixteen year old girl just called me immature?


End file.
